Alas, its stunning beaches, popular attractions, delicious craft beer and growing reputation as an attractive locale for tech-savvy millennials wasn't enough, according to a media release the online retail giant dropped Thursday.
The only Florida city to make the cut? Miami.
Other cities still in the running include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. (Full list here.)
What do all those cities have that Tampa Bay doesn't?
“Thank you to all 238 communities that submitted proposals. Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” said Holly Sullivan, Amazon Public Policy, in a written statement accompanying the press release. “Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation.”
Potential sites for a sprawling campus included the land currently sitting under likely-to-be-leveled-soon Tropicana Field and Vinikville (as it's known colloquially).
Amazon's list was narrowed down from 238 contenders to 20.
Hey, Orlando didn't make it, either, and they have transit.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.
